The White Rose
by He said evasively
Summary: Chat Noir has always loved Ladybug. But when she turns him down yet again, promising that she can never love him, he starts setting his sights on another familiar girl with blue hair... (Rated T for kissing)
1. Love Confessions

"Pound it!" Chat Noir and Ladybug said in usion, bumping fists together.

"Good job, Chat." Ladybug beamed, fiercely victorious. She glowed prettily in France´s setting sun, her hair and eyes shining. Her beauty made Chat´s heart ache, and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

The akumatized victim was on the ground a few paces away from the superheros, and he moaned in pain as the akuma´s darkness released him. Ladybug´s triumphant smile faltered, and she turned away from Chat as rushed to the side of the elderly man, helping him stand up.

"Thank you, Ladybug." The old man said, tears filling his eyes. His hands trembled as he gripped her wrists and leaned in as she supported his weight.

"It is always a pleasure." Ladybug said, her face changing. Chat- who had studied the variations in his Lady´s expressions to the minute detail- thought she looked upset. The two of them continued to walk, one shaky step at a time, towards the bus stop.

How disgusting that Hawk Moth evilized this innocent man´s heart. But there was no room in Chat for anger. Not today. He watched Ladybug help the old man with a sigh of content. _This_ was the girl he had fallen in love with, Lady Luck herself. He had known her for years, and she possesd one of the most beautiful souls in the world. The girl who never hesitated to help others. The beautiful, strong, clever Ladybug. The confident, funny, graceful Ladybug. He had fought side by side with her against all odds, when the world was against them.

Chat watched her forehead tighten in concern as she held the old man tightly, and he wished he could soothe those worried lines with a kiss.

Ladybug herself was _burning_. Hawk Moth didn't stop, did he? He would evilize anyone; from mere children, to the elderly and disabled. He turned everyone into monsters. Was her and Chat Noir even making any difference? They had no leads on Hawk Moth, it was the same battle over and over again. Her life seemed to be on repeat.

Well, not anymore, she thought venomously, as the old man got on the bus. She turned and walked back to say good night to Chat Noir.

Dammit, not anymore.

The sun was just beginning to set, making Paris glow a faint red.

As Ladybug returned, Chat Noir reached for her hand. Ladybug's eyes tightened. Her mind was still full of darkness and anger, of regret, of vengeance, of red, red, red.

"My Lady." He kissed it.

"Kitty…" she protested at his cheesiness, giggling a little when he, still holding her hand, twirled her around, and then bringing her closer to him. The Notre Dame Church was right behind them, the Eiffel Tower glowing in the distance.

"My Lady." Chat Noir said again, this time holding both her hands, his eyes turned up in happiness.

Her face was bathed in red, in her hair, on her lips, glowing against her suit, making it look sewn out of satin.

"Chat Noir, it's almost dark…" Ladybug said, her ocean eyes meeting his.

Chat Noir did not appear to hear. She pulled him into a quick goodbye hug, surprised when his arms wrapped around her shoulders and he deepened the embrace, making it linger.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon, the sky darkened.

¨Ladybug...¨Chat Noir sighed contently, his head in her hair. "...I'm in love with you, Ladybug."

She gasped, and he didn't hear this either.

"My Lady, I love you." He let his arms fall, his eyes adoring as he tenderly watched her face. Just as he said this, the sky turned into a dark indigo.

"Oh, Chat…" she whispered in agony, as her eyes slid past him and at the billboard of Adrien Agreste in the distance. "You know I love someone else. I can't be with you."

Chat Noir's eyes closed.

Ladybug bit her lip. "Maybe, you should look somewhere else." She suggested. "Because my heart has already decided."

Chat nodded, opening his eyes. "Never?" Chat Noir choked out. 

She understood what he meant. Would she never love him? Would her heart never change?

"I don't think so."

Chat smiled, looking utterly shattered. "Okay, I understand. I won't bother you about it again." He tried a shaky laugh, and suddenly Chat Noir found it rather hard to breath.

"I'm so sorr-" she spoke, but he interrupted her.

¨It's fine...You've got to go." He raised his hand and gestured to her flashing earrings. "See you later, my lad... Ladybug."

"Oh, Chat." She murmured. He looked like someone who had been just been shot through the chest. Still standing, eyes open, but already dead.

She had no choice, she had to leave. Now. Her earrings beeped in warning again.

So Ladybug tossed up her yoyo, and was flung throughout the sky, a dark silhouette against the fading sunset.

As soon as she left, Chat gasped and stumbled against the walls of Notre Dam, his hand clutching as his chest, before sinking to his knees, as the Lady of his heart went away with it.

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"What's up, girl?" Alya said as Marinette sat in her seat at the end of the school day. Marinette turned and looked at Alya.

Alya's eyes widened in surprise. She had seen Marinette pretty, even gorgeous, and once, borderline sexy, but she had never seen her friend look so _lovely._ Her face was a pale pink, all cream and roses, her lips soft and rounded. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, and she was wearing a white button up dress instead of her usual outfit.

"Today, I'm going to do it." Marinette said firmly.

Alya sighed. _"It"_ was what had occupied Marinette for the past year, _"It"_ had been the source of Alya's exasperation and encouragement,_ "It"_ was the ultimate goal.

_"It"_ was confessing to Adrien Agreste.

Alya wanted to laugh, snort, and be encouraging at the same time. Yet as she watched Marinette's face, something made Alya believe her. There was a steely glint in her eye, a lifting of her jaw. Suddenly, in Alya's mind, the determination on Marinette Dupain-Cheng's face reminded her strongly of Ladybug. That, in combination with the overwhelming beauty that was radiating from her, made Alya think twice.

"Okay, girl." Alya blinked.

Marinette had chosen the wrong day to confess. Granted, the sun was shining, the roses outside were just beginning to bloom, and Ms. Bustier was teaching a lesson about the linguistic influences of the french word _amour._ Really, it should be perfectly romantic.

Yet in spite of this (or maybe because of) Adrien Agreste seemed to be in mourning. Usually he was a spot of sunshine in the classroom, always up for a laugh, but today, it was as if his mother had died again. He sat, his hand over his chest, eyes closed in sadness.

Nino also looked worried. He patted Adrien´s shoulder, and whispered, "Are you okay, dude?"

Adrien did not respond. 

"A common misconception is that the word _amour_ or _amore_ is latin. Is this so, Marinette?" Ms. Bustier was asking.

"No Ms. Bustier. _Amour _is ancient french."

"That's right."

Alya elbowed Marinette. "Let's get our french _amour_ on, then." She said, and Marinette laughed prettily. Damn, was she always this beautiful?

"Now, do not misunderstand me. _Amour_ does have latin-roots, coming from the latin word amōrem…"

Alya also hoped Adrien would get his _amour _on too. Anything would be better then the... ancient grief that lined his eyes.

"Adrien Agreste," Ms. Bustier asked. "How would you, quite literally, say 'in love' in French, Spanish, Italian, and English?"

"I do not know." Adrien replied quietly, looking down. All this talk about love seemed to be mocking him.

Ms. Bustier looked inquiringly at the class, and Marinette raised her hand.

"_A_moureux, enamorado, innamorato, and enamoured." Marinette said, her voice beautifully pronouncing the four tongues, and everyone turned to look at her. She said them like a promise, like a song, and it was a song Alya wanted to hear more of.

Everyone else seemed to have eyes for only Marinette, including most of the boys, and even some of the girls. Marinette was resplendent today, so full of life, and so obviously _in love_. Enamorada, amoureux, innamorata and enamoured, no wonder she knew those words so well. They perfectly described her, four times over.

Kim leaned forward on his chair, and Chloé was oblivious to her elbow sliding against her desk. Yes, everyone, including Ms. Bustier, was gazing at Marinette, in wonder, in awe. Everyone, Alya noticed, except a certain blonde sitting in front of her.

And then Chloé's elbow knocked her books to the floor with a crash, Kim fell out of his chair, and the spell was broken. Ms. Bustier said, a little faintly, "Yes… as you notice, all four of those words have the french word _amour _in it. Memorize all four, they will be on our grammar test next week."

The bell then rang, jolting everyone further out of their seats.

"Class dismissed! Have a good weekend!"

Adrien was the first to leave, but he was followed closely by Marinette.

"Hi, Adrien." Marinette said, as they walked outside, and when his green eyes met hers, all of her confidence soared out of her. Suddenly, she was the same old trembling, shy and endearing Marinette all over again. Well, it wasn't her fault Adrien Agreste was so… disarming!

"Hello, Marinette." Adrien said, his voice heartbreakingly sad. But Marinette, too infatuated with his looks, too hypnotized with his smell, failed to notice this.

"I...noticed you didn't know the f-four words for _lovin'-_\- ah, I mean _in love_. Would you like me to help you?" Marinette asked.

"No thank you." Of course, Adrien _knew_ the four words, he had already studied this lesson in his textbook. But saying the words "In love" four times over, out loud, when Ms. Bustier had asked him, would have been too painful. Yes, Adrien Agreste was in love, enamorado, amoureux, completely enamoured. But, his Lady had told him she would _never_ love him back, and with those words, she had ripped out his heart, and he was still bleeding.

Students walked past them, talking about the weekend. Marinette was standing behind the just-blooming roses. They were a creamy white.

Marinette seemed to be losing her nerve. Before it was lost completely, she blurted, eyes shut, all in one breath, "Adrien-I-really-you-like!"

...

Silence.

Marinette cracked open one eye. Adrien started, confused at her.

"Oh…" She laughed nervously. "I-I mean…" she inhaled deeply. "Adrien, I really like you. As in, I like, like, you."

Adrien was at a loss for words. _Marinette?_ Some small, very small part of his brain questioned. He would have never guessed Marinette. Cute, harmless, shy Marinette, who- he noticed for the first time- looked very lovely and sweet today. Especially standing behind those roses.

But Adrien had a gaping hole in his chest, and the edges continued to bleed. He was still in love with Ladybug, and it ached him.

So he looked at Marinette with pity, and hoped she only had a small crush on him. How could it be anything more? They barely knew each other. They had hardly had a conversation.

"Well, thank you," he said gently. "I don't return your feelings, though. I am sorry."

Marinette's smile was frozen on her face.

"W-wha…?"

"You deserve someone better." Adrien frowned. "You never used to seem comfortable around me, anyways. But I hope we can still be friends."

Marinette was motionless, her eyes still wide.

The Gorilla appeared by the curb, and honked.

"I have to go… Chinese lessons, you know…" Adrien said, confused by her silence. "Well… see ya."

He turned to leave, smiling sadly, and as soon as he got into his car, he had already forgotten about his classmate that went by the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Instead, he thought about his _real_ best friend, the one who had stolen his heart and had gotten away with it.

His love, his life, his one and only _Ladybug._

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To be continued…

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**Don't be mad at me, this is just the beginning! This is my first MLB Fan-fiction, was it okay? **_**I am actually publishing this to work on my Spanish- I will be translating my text, by hand, to Spanish, and publishing that as a separate story. **_**Is anyone here fluent in Spanish and can help me? Give me a message if you wanna be my writing partner, let's be friends! And if you are interested in being a proofreader, DM me!**

**In case you are wondering; I plan this to be medium-long in length… give or take ten chapters?**

**To the people of France (and especially Paris) if you are reading this, my condolences about the Notre Dame church. God bless~**


	2. Love Me Back

**A Spanish version of this story will be up soon.  
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_Chaper two: Love Me Back_

"Alya, I am so stupid!" Marinette wailed, crying on the lap of her best friend. Alya patted her friend on the back. The two of them were downstairs in the bakery, Marinette's parents currently on a date.

"No you're not, Marinette." Alya said, soothingly. She, of course, was always aware of the possibility of Adrien Agreste turning down Marinette. There was something more to him then met the eye (and, as he was a model, a _lot _met the eye), so Alya was not completely surprised. After all, the normal response of any warm-blooded male would have been to ask out Marinette- she was beautiful, clever, sweet, and distractingly feminine. But Adrien Agreste was _not _like any other male, and Alya had always suspected that when it came to girls, his thoughts were _not _on his classmates.

"You can still be friends with him. These things take time." Alya said reassuringly. Alya's kindness and the nearby plate of cookies seemed to boost Marinette's spirits a little bit.

Marinette frowned, her face red and puffy. "But... I... always thought we were meant to be." She said in a tiny voice.

Alya chuckled, a little sadly. "Marinette, girl…" In Alya's head, she was briefly torn between kindness and truth. Which did Marinette need more? In the end, truth won, as it so often does. _Marinette can handle the truth,_ Alya thought. _She is stronger than she thinks. _

"Marinette, there's a simple question you must ask yourself, before thinking that you and Adrien are meant to be." Alya assured Marinette, offering her another cookie.

Marinette sniffed, taking the chocolate chip, before taking a bite. "What?"

Alya leaned forward, her eyes narrowed, and said in a piercing tone, "_What is wrong with Adrien Agreste_?"

Marinette blinked. "What?!"

"You know, his flaws."

At this, Marinette snorted in laughter, accidentally spraying cookie crumbs all over Alya's face. "Adrien?! He hasn't got any! why do you think I like him so much?!"

"Exactly." Alya's glasses flashed. "Marinette, loving someone means loving their faults as well. And if you think Adrien doesn't have any, then you don't know him that well. Everyone has flaws."

"Um-"

"And how can you truly love someone if you barely know them?"

Marinette looked confused. "Then how do you explain… the butterflies in my stomach? _This feeling_?"

Alya patted Marinette on the shoulder. "Easy- two words. _Celebrity crush_."

Marinette opened her mouth, but Alya was on a roll.

"Does Adrien seem perfect to you? No- don't answer me, I know he does. Is he popular? A model? Famous? He's in your class, which makes him attainable as well."

The chinese baker wanted to scoff at the word _attainable_, but Alya wasn't finished.

"Is he…" And at this, Alya pulled down her glasses, and looked at Marinette ever so slyly.

"Radiant? Carefree? _Dreamy_?"

Marinette turned bright red, and to cover her embarrassment, she grabbed another cookie and took a bite.

"But… what about yesterday? I was so in love, I know it!" came her muffled voice as she chewed on the dessert.

Alya sighed, and pulled the fashion designer into a quick hug. "Do you want to know what I think?"

When she released her, Mari gave a little nod.

"I think you were in love with a pretend version of Adrien. An unrealistic one. The perfect boy. But girl, spoiler alert! The perfect boy doesn't exist!"

The turn of events made Marinette's head spin. Could it be true? Was she really in love with a fantasy?

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Adrien sobbed.

"I don't understand it, Adrien." Plagg said, green eyes wide in concern for his Chosen, who was lying on his bed, chest heaving. "Ladybug has turned you down plenty of times before!"

But Adrien just cried, holding his pillow.

_That's right_, Plagg thought. _Because he has no father to hug, no mother to embrace, so a pillow is better than nothing. _

And now, more than ever, did Adrien want to be in the embrace of his mother. He _missed _her, almost as much as he missed his father. When Emilie Agreste had gone missing, his father had changed so much, it was almost as if he had died too. A different man was in the house. And most days it was bearable, but on days like today…

Adrien had deep down always knew that that was why he had first fallen for Ladybug.

He remembered Ladybug, -back when the two of them were just starting out being superheroes, fighting Stoneheart- flying down from the Eiffel tower, a spotted angel, and saving his Chloe, the dear childhood friend of his from her death, before earnestly challenging Hawkmoth. That bravery, that determination, that passion, that _goodness_… it was _so_ like his mom. Being with Ladybug was _almost _like being with his mother again. It almost made him forget that she wasn't here, that she wasn't with Adrien anymore.

And that was when Chat Noir had first loved Ladybug.

But mostly, he felt his mother around Ladybug. He found that he could remember his mother clearer when he was with Lady Luck, and _that _was no coincidence. They were very similar. When fighting akumas, Adrien was not in the presence of one angel, but two. His Lady and Emilie. They were always with him.

And Ladybug herself! Ah, _quelle beauté! Que c'est beau_! How could _any _compare? She was like a magnificent art piece, full of duende.

"Plagg, you don't understand…" Adrien whispered against the folds of his pillow. "Ladybug didn't just turn me down- she said she _never_ could love me." The reality of it hit him again, and tears formed in his eyes.

Something must be wrong with _him,_ Adrien decided. No one seemed to return his love, not his father, not his Lady, and his mother was gone, so not her as well.

Plagg floated around uncertianly, his green eyes wide. Adrien was by far Plagg's favorite Chat Noir. He was caring, warm, and selfless- and it seemed to Plagg like Adrien had only one wish, the most innocent and pure wish of all.

Adrien wanted someone to love him back.

It was very simple. Just a craving for affection, and a far stronger one than his own craving for camembert- so why did it fill him with unbearable sadness? Why did Plagg want to take hold of Ladybug and yell in her face, "_How could you not love Chat Noir? What is there_ not _to love? What is wrong with you_?"

Everyone talked about how Ladybug put Paris before herself, but Chat Noir always put Ladybug before himself! Every. Single. Time. And it wasn't just to save Paris, it was to save his love, his life, his connection to his mother...

Plagg wasn't good with emotions. He put Feelings somewhere in between Cheddar and American Cheese in terms of importance. (American Cheese just wasn't worth Plagg's time.) Emotions! He couldn't bother with them, they were no good! It wasn't like he could even sort out his feelings for Tikki…

_...Stop that thought right there_, Plagg said sharply to himself. _Let's think about cheese._

And while Plagg was frantically attempting to think of the texture of camembert instead of breaking his heart over Adrien or Tikki, Adrien himself distracted his sadness with thoughts of _good _times with Ladybug.

The times when it almost seemed possible for his Lady to love him back.


End file.
